The new federal law taxing individuals who use tanning salons went into effect on July 1.  This may discourage people from using tanning beds, which greatly increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer.

A new study shows that indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. The more time a person has spent tanning indoors, the higher the odds of developing the disease.  According to the study, the type of tanning machine used affects melanoma risk – some tanners were 4.44 times as likely as non-tanners to develop melanoma.

This past week, Snooki from MTV's "Jersey Shore" announced that “I don’t go tanning anymore, because Obama put a 10 percent tax on tanning.”  The real reason that Snooki no longer uses a tanning bed is actually the result of an intervention with The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Senior Vice President, Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff. 

Recently, Dr. Sarnoff sat down with the cast of MTV’s hit show to discuss the dangers of tanning and its connection to skin cancer.  The intervention was successful and the "Jersey Shore" roommates made the switch to spray tanning.

Click here to watch the intervention and see why Snooki really stopped using tanning beds.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a final settlement banning the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making misleading or unsubstantiated health and safety claims about indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanning.

In a complaint lodged against the ITA in early 2010, the FTC accused the trade group for tanning industry professionals of misleading consumers during a 2008 advertising campaign.

In 2009, a working group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO), added ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from tanning machines to its Group I list of the most carcinogenic (cancer-causing) forms of radiation. Citing evidence from years of international research on the relationship between indoor tanning and skin cancer, the IARC placed this type of UVR in a danger category alongside offenders such as radon, plutonium, and solar UVR.

"Jersey Shore"'s Snooki announced that "she does not want to die from skin cancer" on Wednesday’s edition of "Extra". The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Senior Vice President, Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, sat down with the cast of MTV’s hit show to discuss the dangers of tanning in an effort to put an end to their favorite motto "GTL", which stands for Gym, Tanning, Laundry. The intervention was successful and the "Jersey Shore" roommates plan to make the switch to spray tanning. Watch the entire segment and find out the results of Mike "The Situation's" skin exam, click here.

There's nothing wrong with your natural skin tone: It shows you're smart about sun protection, which will keep you looking younger longer. But for people who want some color without sacrificing their skin, sunless tanning lotions and sprays provide a safe option. And they don't make you look orange like they used to.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Just as millions head to tanning beds to prepare for spring break, the Food and Drug Administration will be debating how to toughen warnings that those sunlamps pose a cancer risk.

Yes, sunburns are particularly dangerous. But there's increasing scientific consensus that there's no such thing as a safe tan, either.

This is a message that Katie Donnar, 18, dismissed until a year ago when, preparing for the Miss Indiana pageant, she discovered a growth on her leg _ an early-stage melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

She can't prove tanning beds are to blame, but started using them as a sixth-grade cheerleader, says she stepped under the bulbs about every other day during parts of high school, and at one point even owned one. No more.

In July, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a working group of the World Health Organization, added ultraviolet (UV) radiation-emitting tanning devices — tanning beds and lamps — to the list of the most dangerous forms of cancer-causing radiation. It joins an assembly of hazardous substances including plutonium and certain types of radium, as well as radiation from the sun.

You’re probably aware that tanning contributes to skin aging and the development of skin cancers, as well as damage to the eyes and immune system. But now there’s more bad news: it may be addictive, too.